The W

For the swing/ska group, see The W's. For the Latin character, see W. For other uses, see W (disambiguation).
The W
Studio album by
Wu-Tang Clan
ReleasedNovember 21, 2000
Recorded1999–2000
GenreHip hop
Length59:04
Label
ProducerRZA, Mathematics
Wu-Tang Clan chronology
Wu-Tang Forever
(1997) 		The W
(2000) 		Iron Flag
(2001)
Singles from The W
  1. "Protect Ya Neck (The Jump Off)"
    Released: October 17, 2000
  2. "Gravel Pit"
    Released: December 5, 2000
  3. "I Can't Go To Sleep"
    Released: 2001
  4. "Careful (Click, Click)"
    Released: July 17, 2001

The W is the third studio album by American hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan. It was released on November 21, 2000, by Loud Records.[1] After their 1997 album Wu-Tang Forever, several of the group's members released solo projects before The W, which has a more rugged, less polished sound than that of most Wu-Tang related albums from that era. The album also features guest appearances from Isaac Hayes, Redman, Nas, Busta Rhymes, Snoop Dogg and Junior Reid. It is the group's last album to feature Ol' Dirty Bastard before his death in 2004, as he was absent from their next album, Iron Flag (2001).

The album debuted at number five on the Billboard 200, and number one on the Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart with 301,000 copies sold in the first week.[2][3] It produced several singles, which also charted as well. The album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[4] Upon its release, The W received largely positive reviews from most music critics based on an aggregate score of 80/100 from Metacritic.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference PopMatters was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "The W – Wu-Tang Clan (Awards)". AllMusic. Retrieved July 18, 2010.
  3. ^ "Wu-Tang Clan debuts at No. 5". The 411 Online. Retrieved December 14, 2010.
  4. ^ RIAA Search: The W Archived August 20, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. RIAA. Retrieved 2010-07-18.